Bookcase falls on, kills toddler

October 15, 2012

WOONSOCKET – An 18-month-old boy was killed at home Monday when a bookshelf toppled over onto the boy’s chest, police said.
The death was still under investigation as of press time. Police Chief Thomas Carey said the incident appears to have been a tragic accident, but an official finding on the cause will not be issued until the police have finished their investigation.
“We still have some work to do on it,” the chief said. “The parents are quite distraught.”
The child’s name was not released. But police issued a brief statement saying the incident happened at 113 Parker St., where they were summoned for a medical emergency at 1:28 p.m. Monday.
Though details of exactly what happened were still a part of the investigation, the police said a bookshelf somehow tipped over onto the boy’s chest. Paramedics transported the boy to Landmark Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.